For years, Phil Collins’ state of health has been the subject of much speculation and regularly worries his fans. But this time, it was the 75-year-old Briton who spoke about it himself. He revealed on Sunday that he spent seven months hospitalized in Switzerland and was so close to death that his loved ones said goodbye to him.
“Decisions had to be made. Are we keeping Phil on life support? That sort of thing,” he told the “Sunday Times”. “My kidneys were failing, my organs were shutting down. People came to say goodbye to me.”
The former Genesis drummer and singer said he spent 7 months hospitalized in Switzerland, without specifying exactly where, much of which was in intensive care. He was urgently hospitalized in November 2023, was released for some time shortly before Christmas and then was quickly readmitted.
In the spring, his five children all came to his bedside, presumably for farewells. “But I don’t remember them coming, I had no idea what was going on. They were all afraid of never seeing me again. Everything could have gone terribly wrong,” the singer commented.
The reason? The star has previously spoken about his addiction issues. It was a relapse, a return to alcohol after years of sobriety that almost cost him his life. Since his release from hospital in May 2024, he says he has no longer drunk.
Phil Collins, however, says he had long-term after-effects, in particular problems with the pancreas and especially the kidneys. With a spinal injury dating back to 2007 and diabetes, he now uses crutches and is cared for 24 hours a day by a nurse at home.
The Briton also explained to the “Sunday Times” that the whole family gathered in a London hotel after his release from the hospital. And to report the words of his daughter Lily, star of “Emily in Paris”: “She was sitting next to me, she cried and said to me: “I never thought I would experience these moments.”
“The Independent” recalls that the singer had already said that he had come close to the worst in 2016 because of his alcoholism, when he published his memoirs entitled “Not Dead Yet”. Not dead yet.
